Today's Buzz brought to you by the weak economy

Bad sign. Rapper Slick Rick says that simply owning some property in the Bronx is his proudest accomplishment. Please note that he's not bragging about platinum albums, diamond-encrusted accessories or owning 16 cars. For those of you playing along at home, that's sign number 637,989 that our economy's in trouble.

Checkmate. An international chess player has been visiting local elementary school students to teach them the skills of the game.

The program is popular, both with kids and their parents. One parent explains that chess teaches analytical thinking and problem solving. One fifth-grader explains that she has an even loftier goal. She wants to learn how to beat her big brother.

The Silvertips will welcome Kyle Beach back from the NHL this week. His team is happy to hear he's coming back. They said several complimentary things about Beach, but for the sake of brevity, let us sum up for you: "He's big, he scores goals and he starts lots of fights." With a skill set like that, he'll have a nice, permanent home in the NHL someday.